Luxury Hotels Atlas / The Maison / Natural Selection
Natural Selection hotels
Safari guides partner with camp-owning families and communities to keep wild places protected.
Natural Selection is a conservation safari company whose camps sit in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. The guides who founded it in 2016 partner with the families and communities that own the camps. Jack's Camp, started by Jack Bousfield on the Makgadikgadi in 1962, is the old house in the collection.
9 Natural Selection hotels in 2 countries on the Luxury Hotels Atlas, each placed on the six LHA Tiers.
- Founded by Dave van Smeerdijk and partners
- Worldwide: The company says it offers 26 lodges and camps in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, employs more than 1,200 people, and looks after 1.6 million hectares.
- On the atlas: 2 Grand Luxury, 2 High Luxury, 1 Core Luxury, 4 Accessible Luxury
History
Natural Selection is a conservation safari company whose camps sit in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. The guides who founded it in 2016 partner with the families and communities that own the camps. Jack's Camp, started by Jack Bousfield on the Makgadikgadi in 1962, is the old house in the collection.
Timeline
- 1962 — Jack Bousfield starts a photographic safari camp on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans. It becomes Jack's Camp.
- 1993 — Ralph Bousfield founds Uncharted Africa in memory of his father. The company later includes Jack's Camp, San Camp, and Camp Kalahari.
- 2016 — Van Smeerdijk, Lalley, Ramsay, and Bell start Natural Selection.
- 2018 — Shipwreck Lodge, on the Skeleton Coast, is dated 2018 in the atlas, 10 rooms.
- 2020 — Kwessi Dunes, in the NamibRand, is dated 2020 in the atlas, 12 rooms.
- 2022 — Duke's Camp, in the Okavango, is dated 2022 in the atlas, 8 rooms.
- 2024 — Jack's Private Camp and Tawana are dated 2024 in the atlas.
- 2025 — Mbamba Camp, in the Okavango, is dated 2025 in the atlas, 12 rooms.
The houses to know
- Shipwreck Lodge, Skeleton Coast National Park, Namibia — The only lodge inside Namibia's Skeleton Coast National Park, opened June 2018 between the Hoanib and Hoarusib rivers, about 45 kilometres north of Möwe Bay.
- Jack's Camp, Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Botswana — Jack Bousfield pitched this camp on the Makgadikgadi salt pans in 1962; his son Ralph rebuilt the safari as a tribute, then rebuilt it again in 2021.
- San Camp, Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Botswana — San Camp is a seasonal safari retreat located on the edge of the Ntwetwe Pan, part of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans in Botswana's Kalahari.
- Tawana, Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana — Natural Selection planned Tawana for 2024 as an eight-suite luxury camp in Botswana's Moremi Game Reserve — a premium addition on the Okavango's most celebrated game-viewing concession in the reserve's Chief's Island sector.
- Duke's Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana — A masterclass in vintage safari panache, Duke's Camp features eight opulent canvas suites set on raised wooden decks beneath a canopy of ancient leadwood and ebony trees.
- Camp Kalahari, Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana — A Natural Selection camp of 12 Meru-style tents on Brown Hyena Island at the edge of the Makgadikgadi salt pans, the lower-priced sibling of Jack's Camp and San Camp.
- Kwessi Dunes, NamibRand Nature Reserve, Namibia — Kwessi Dunes opened in March 2020 as a joint venture with NamibRand Nature Reserve, the private desert assembled in the 1980s from former livestock farms.
- Jack's Private Camp, Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana — Natural Selection opened Jack's Private Camp in March 2024 with four exclusive-use tents on the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans — an extension of the Jack's Camp ecosystem set apart from the main camp for complete desert privacy.
- Mbamba Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana — Opened in April 2025, Mbamba Camp was developed by Natural Selection in collaboration with legendary camp builder Ralph Bousfield, who spent a decade scouting the site to ensure optimal wildlife viewing.
Newest openings
- Jack's Private Camp — Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana — dated 2024 in the atlas — 4 rooms.
- Mbamba Camp — Okavango Delta, Botswana — dated 2025 in the atlas — 12 rooms.
- Tawana — Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana — dated 2024 in the atlas — 8 rooms.
Opening next
- No named unopened camp was verified beyond the houses already dated in the atlas.
Every Natural Selection hotel on the atlas
Botswana
- Jack's Camp — Makgadikgadi Salt Pans · Grand Luxury
- San Camp — Makgadikgadi Salt Pans · High Luxury
- Tawana — Moremi Game Reserve · High Luxury
- Duke's Camp — Okavango Delta · Core Luxury
- Camp Kalahari — Makgadikgadi Pans · Accessible Luxury
- Jack's Private Camp — Makgadikgadi Pans · Accessible Luxury
- Mbamba Camp — Okavango Delta · Accessible Luxury
Namibia
- Shipwreck Lodge — Skeleton Coast National Park · Grand Luxury
- Kwessi Dunes — NamibRand Nature Reserve · Accessible Luxury
Open The Maison in the atlas for Natural Selection's full dossier, with prices and maps.